Vocational student numbers on the rise

Vocational training student numbers are rising and more of these students are choosing to study full time, new data shows.

There were an extra 61,300 students enrolled in publicly funded vocational education and training (VET) in 2012, compared to 2011. This represented a 3.3 per cent increase on the previous year's numbers.

As well, the number of students choosing to study full time jumped 12 per cent between 2011 and 2012.

The figures are reported in the annual national snapshot of student enrolments and training released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) on Friday.

More than four in five vocational students still choose to study part-time.

But NCVER statistics manager Sandra Pattinson said the number of full-time students had increased over the past five years and the 12 per cent jump was a "marked increase".

"There have also been sizable increases in student numbers, subject enrolments and hours of training delivery and this points to systemic change in Australia's training sector," she said on Friday.